Endless tread traction attachment for vehicles



Feb. 3, 1953 c, JUNKER 2,627,442

ENDLESS TREAD TRACTION ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES Filed Jan. 28, 1952 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 56 Fig.3 n I I 20 ,4 A Christ Junker INVENTOR.

56 7? 80 BY 9g 20 WWW/8mm Feb. 3, 1953 c. JUNKER ENDLESS TREAD TRACTION ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Filed Jan. 28, 1952 INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE nrinljnss TRACTION ATTACHMENT ro-n VEHICLES Christ Junker, Kintyre, NLjDak. Athenian January 28, 1952, Serial No. 268,580

(01. sea-e) 6 Claims.

This invention relates'to new and useful improvements in vehicles and 'the, primary object of the present inventionis to provide asleigh attachment for vehicles, whereby a vehicle may move over snow or ice.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide a sleigh attachment for vehicles including an auxiliary wheel mount that is adjustable toward and away from a rear axle, whereby tightening of endless traction members about the rear wheels and the auxiliary wheels may be readily accomplished.

A furtherobject of the presentiinvention is to provide a sleigh attachment for vehicles, including novel and improved skids that are quicklyand readily attached to or removed from the front wheel assemblies of a vehicle in a convenient manner. I

Astill further aim of the present invention is to provide a sleigh attachment for vehicles which is simple and practical infconstruction, strong and reliable in use, efiicient and durable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, references being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of avehicle equipped with the present sleigh attachment;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view of Figure 1 with the facing rear wheel removed and the rear axle shown in section;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic bottom plan View of Figure l in smaller scale, the auxiliary wheel mount removed;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 6-6 of Figure 4;

Figure '7 is a plan view of one of the skids and showing the same attached to a forward Wheel assembly, in dotted lines;

Figure 8 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 8-8 of Figure 7; and,

Figure 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the traction member used in the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, thereis disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral I'D represents a vehicle of known construction having a pair of rear leaf spring assemblies [2 thataresecured to a rear axle l4byU-bo1ts 16. The ends of axle l4 carry rear wheels l8 thatare spaced rearwardlyfrom the forwardwheel assembliesfl'of the vehicle.

Auxiliary wheels 22 are applied'to the vehicle through the medium of leaf-springs or spring members 24. The rear "ends of the spring members 24 aresecured to U-Shaped'guidebrackets 26 that embrace thelf orward end'portions of the spring assemblies [2 and which are slidablyreceived on the forward end portions of the Spring assemblies. V v g 7 Guides 28 are fixed by weldingorthe like to the side frame members 30 of the vehicle and extend about angle iron reenforcingbars 32 also fixed to the members 30. Slide plates 34 are slidably supported by the: guides 28 under the vertical flanges of bars 32, as shown in Figure 5. The forward ends of the leaf springs 24 are fixed, by welding or the like, to the undersurfaces of the slide plates 34.

Blocks 36 are clamped on the springs 24 by U-bolts 38 and support stub axles 40 or the ends of a single axle, paralleling the rear axle. The wheels 22 are mounted on the stub axles or the ends of the single auxiliary axle.

Means is provided for adjustably connecting the auxiliary axle 4|], 40 to the rear axle l4 and this means comprises a pair of rear internally threaded tubular members 42 having channels 44 fixed to their rear ends that engage over the axle [4. Forward threaded rods 46 are threaded in the members 42 and their forward end are fixed to yokes 48 that engage over spacer and connecting lugs 50 between the stub axles 40 and the blocks 36. Lock nuts 52 are threaded on the rods 46 to retain the members 42 and rods 46 longitudinally adjusted relative to each other.

Tire chains 54 extend circumferentially about the rear wheels l8 and endless traction members 56 extend between and about the wheels l8 and 22. The traction members 56, a shown best in Figure 9, each include a pair of endless chains 58 composed of loops 60 and links 62. The links 62 of the chains 58 are connected by cross-angles or cleats 64 that are welded to the links. The links of the chains are further connected by straps 66 having downwardly inclined end portions 68 3 whose edges are curved inwardly as at 10. The end portions 68 will engage opposite sides of the wheels [8 and 22 to hold the traction members on the wheels. By adjusting the members 46 in members 42, the wheels 22 will be spaced sufficiently from the wheels 18 to tighten the traction members against the circumference of the wheels.

Skids 12 are attached to the forward wheel assemblies 20 and comprise leaf springs 14 having their forward ends fixed to plates 16 removably secured to runners 18 whose forward ends carry upwardly curved shoes 80. The rear ends of springs '14 are slidably received in guides 82 secured to wear plates 84 removably held on the runners.

Attaching arms 86 and 88 are fixed to the central portions of the springs to the brake drum housings 90 of the wheel assemblies 20 to permit swinging movement of the skids with the wheel assemblies by the steering mechanism, not shown, of the vehicle that is operatively connected to the axle A for the front wheel assemblies.

Having described the invention, claimed as new is:

1. A snow vehicle comprising a vehicle having a rear axle and leaf spring assemblies supporting the rear axle, an auxiliary axle paralleling the rear axle, spring members supporting the auxiliary axle, said spring members having forward and rear ends, means slidably securing the forward ends of the spring members to the vehicle, means slidably securing the rear ends of the spring members to the leaf spring assemblies, means adjustably connecting the axles, each of said axles carrying wheels, and endless traction members trained about the wheels of the axles.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said connecting means includes a pair of elongated threadingly connected members, a hook secured to one member engaged over the rear axle, the other of said pair of members bein secured to the auxiliary axle.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means slidably securing the forward ends of the spring members to the vehicle comprises slide plates fixed to the forward ends of the spring what is 4 members and guides secured to the vehicle slidably receiving said slide plates.

4. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means slidably securing the rear ends of the spring members to the leaf spring assemblies comprises inverted U-shaped hangers attached to the rear ends of the spring members and disposed about the leaf spring assemblies.

5. Ina vehicle including a wheeled frame having rear leaf spring assemblies and a rear axle supported by said assemblies, an auxiliary wheel mount comprising a pair of forward leaf springs having forward ends slid-ably secured to the frame and rear ends slidably secured to the leaf spring assemblies, an auxiliary axle carried by said leaf springs, and an adjustable connection REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,276,035 Crane Aug. 20, 1918. 1,335,096 Dietz Mar. 30, 1920 1,383,356 Weier July 5, 1921 1,425,609 Scholz et a1 Aug. 15, 1922 1,701,212 Nickerson Feb. 5, 1929 2,314,295 Wampfier Mar. 16, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 558,710 Germany Sept. 13, 1932 

